Hey everyone! DA: I is so distracted and at the same time so good at inspiring me! Some of my ideas that I had years back are kind/sort of canon now. Anyway I hope you all enjoy this chapter and please drop a review to tell me what you think.

A big thanks to ffdrake for beta reading for me!

Chapter 4

The mood within the Circle changed drastically in the weeks following Jowan's escape. Tensions began to rise when they began questioning all of Jowan's known associates, interrogating them all ruthlessly about his blood magic. But none of Jowan's friends were able to tell the Templars anything about what Jowan did in his spare time—only Pelton did and he was now dead or wished he was. Neria wasn't spared the Templars inquiries and she told them what everyone else did—nothing.

But what she didn't tell them was that she had allowed Jowan to escape.

The guilt of it drove her to barely eat and even when she did it was tasteless and the food never seemed to fill her. When she slept, her dreams were filled of the possible horrors that Jowan could unleash with his blood magic. How many lives would be lost because she failed—wouldn't—act against him?

The Circle's Templar hunters were stretched thin across the Ferelden countryside looking for Jowan. He had destroyed his phylactery before he escaped and so they had to look for him the hard way. Several missives and injured Templars later painted a picture that Jowan had successfully evaded them and could be anywhere in Ferelden. Furious, the Knight-Commander sent a missive asking for help from the Denerim Templars to aid their search for Jowan.

Irving, worried about Neria, had visited her several times. She had not left her room in weeks, refusing to attend her lessons. She didn't want to see any other mage in the tower, she expected that they would blame her for the harsh treatment they were now forced to endure because of Jowan's escape. She couldn't—wouldn't—bare that.

She was told that Cullen had also stopped by as often as he could. Though Neria had never seen him or even cared to notice.

As the weeks piled up the gossip of Jowan and his escape began to die down and was soon replaced with darker news from the south. A war had begun, a large darkspawn horde had emerged in the Korcari Wilds. In response to the threat Ferelden's king had begun to rally his forces in order to meet the vile creatures in battle. The King had sent a messenger urging for the support of both the mages and the Templars, but the messenger never got a reply to send back to his king.

The Templars wouldn't lend their aid against the unusually large darkspawn raid. Nor would they allow the mages to be released from the tower. So no offer of support was officially given, just silence.

After the king's messenger left, Wynne arrived at her room to tell her of the recent events in the tower. If it wasn't for Wynne she would've never known what was going on outside of her room. The old woman would enter and sit on the end of her bed gently and kindly and after a short amount of time she would begin to tell her of the events.

Neria was glad that the tower had stopped whispering about Jowan. But the news of the darkspawn made her heart sink. She had read all about the creatures from the archives. She was more interested in history of the Blights. Even though the towers records on them were limited as only the Grey Wardens—and the dwarves of Orzammar—had more lore and knowledge on the creatures.

She silently hoped that the war in the south wasn't a Blight. After Garahel had slain the Archdemon Andoral four centuries ago everyone believed the darkspawn would no longer have the numbers to threaten Thedas again.

When Wynne was done she got up but didn't leave. Neria turned over and poked her head above the sheets.

"Child, I think it is time that we had talk. It has been nearly a month now since Jowan's escape. I've given you enough time. Could you please tell me about the power you used?" The senior enchanter asked as caring and as kind as mother.

"I…don't want to talk about it. I told you that already." Neria spat angrily. She had enough of the enchanters asking her about what had happened. She had no answers to give to them, but they kept on asking regardless.

"You wielded a power close to that of an abomination. Surely you can see why the enchanters are…so concerned."

"If that is true then why haven't the Templars come to kill me? The Knight-Commander saw what I did."

Wynne gave her a concerned look and placed her hand on her cheek. "You are no abomination and the Knight-Commander knows this. You stopped Pelton from escaping with Jowan. The enchanters just want to study this…phenomenon."

"I've told them many, many times. I don't know what happened. All I remember is that I got a surge of power from somewhere and I don't know how to do it again!" She yelled, surprising herself as she hadn't mean to yell.

Wynne's hand retreat and rested on her own lap, she sat straight this time and looked her right in the eyes. "That power is a gift. It could be used to help the Circle and others. You owe it to yourself to train yourself and find out answers."

Wynne sat up and made her way to the door, leaving without a word and leaving Neria with her own thoughts. If she could even hear her own thoughts.

Neria hadn't dare mentioned it, but ever since the incident she could hear demons whisper to her. She wasn't even touching the Fade. It was unsettling. It was a waking nightmare. No matter what she tried to block the voices, she could still hear them. They begged for her to let them in. They pleaded and promised to grant her anything she wished in return.

She was too afraid to touch the Fade lest it allow a demon to enter her mind. It was one of the reasons she locked herself away from the others. The main reason.

Though the voices of the demons were but a whisper, there were so many that it often became difficult to think straight. She feared she was losing her sanity. Whatever had happened to her seemed to have left her with a permanent connection to the Fade. That was all she managed to deduce during her weeks in isolation. But she couldn't prove it. Her mind refused to do even the simplest of magic.

She sank back into the bed. The whispers like talons clawing on her mind. She couldn't string together two thoughts now. It was like more whispers were joining the others, slowly driving her into insanity so that she would accepted one of them to make them stop.

Closing her eyes she tried, oh she tried, to sleep. But she couldn't concentrate on sleep anymore, sleep was her only respite from the whispers. Now that it was gone she felt lost there was nothing to hold back the voices. She felt hot, sweaty like she was in a place of eternally heat. The whispers had gotten louder. Neria opened her eyes but she couldn't see. She tried to move but she couldn't. She tried to scream but nothing came. She couldn't feel herself.

The whispers finally offered the silence she wanted. She wanted the silence so badly. She craved it. She was going to accept it, despite her mind protesting. Something pulled at her. A cold shiver came down her spin and the whispers had stopped.

With the silence she opened her eyes. A green tinted light stung her eyes and she knew where she was. She was in the Fade. The green tint of the Fade was a far more welcoming sight than the deep loneliness of blindness.

Neria found it strange that she was in the Fade as she hadn't used any magic, nor did she have the enough lyrium to allow herself to enter the spirit realm. As she looked around she…saw that the Fade looked…different now. Like she could see the seams of the Fade. She saw—more like she sensed—something approach. It wasn't a demon it didn't have the same aura, how did she know that when she couldn't see the creature?

Anxiety built up in her, she was unsure what was happening to her. Could this be a demons trick?

Suddenly, a feminine shaped form emerged out from one of the walls. It stared at her for a few moments and continued toward her. "You should be careful of that power you wield, mortal. It can have severe consequences. I've saved you from the onslaught of the demons. For now, they cannot whisper to you." The spirt spoke with a dual voice of two beautiful female voices.

Neria couldn't speak, she wanted to but she couldn't make a sound. The spirit looked at her still and tilted its head. "I am I not speaking the language of your people?"

"Y-You are." She stuttered.

The spirit moved closer to her. "You know naught of the power you wield? How was it that you were able to summon me with no knowledge of your own power?

"My power? My magic?"

The spirit shook its head. "Mortal, you are a strange and vexing creature. You are a dreamer. You can enter the Fade at will. It was here that you summoned me into your body. You used my power to fight against two other mages."

Neria recoiled from the spirits explanation. "You were…inside me? I…I became an, an abomination?"

"Currently we are bonded, but the bonding is not permanent. As a dreamer you can easily allow spirits into your body and separate from them at any time. As for now, I reside within you to protect you from the demons. Once you learn how to block the demons out then you can release me."

Neria felt uneasy at what this spirit was saying. The spirit was inside her now and that made her an abomination, the Templars would sure kill her, spirit or no. "Why help me? What do you get out of it?"

The spirit didn't answer straight away. Its entire body was a green light, though its feminine feature stood out. It seemed to be bald and its face was covered in a sort of veil. "I…I am curious. About your world. I saw a small glimpse of it through your eyes and…I wish to experience something that my brethren have never experienced." It answered.

Neria was unsure on what to do. She'd read about dreamers before. The talent was extremely rare, almost to the point of being a myth. But she'd never heard of an elf being a dreamer. Did the dalish elves have dreamers? They have magic that is old and unchecked by the Chantry. She had no idea where to start looking to control her ability. She didn't even know what kind of spirit she was dealing with.

"What kind of spirit are you?" She asked.

"I am a spirit of compassion." The spirit answered quickly.

Neria raised an eyebrow in surprise. A spirit of compassion. The rarest of spirits. Considered by most to be mythical as there had been no documented encounter with the reclusive spirits.

"Do you know where to begin? Do you know where I can learn to control my power, this power of a dreamer?" Neria hoped the spirit had at least some semblance of an answer to give. She doubted that the Circles library would have any information on dreamers, or how to control the power.

"Hmm. I've seen…small glimpses into your world from dreams over the years. I believe the ones you call, the dalish. They may have the knowledge you seek. I've seen a clan in a land called Fereldan. That is all I know."

A dalish clan in Fereldan. That wasn't helpful at all. From what little she was told of the outside, the dalish were hard to find, especially in Fereldan. Finding one clan, let alone the right clan, was like looking for a needle in a haystack.

"That's isn't very helpful spirit. We are in Fereldan, but I don't know anything about outside the tower. I wouldn't even know where to look for this dalish clan." Neria frowned and dropped down cross legged onto the ground.

The spirit sat next to her, emulating her as if the spirit believed it to be some ritual of some sort. "You can summon spirits into your world can you not? Can you not have one seek out the dalish?"

The spirit had a point. Neria was could have a spirit search for the dalish, but it could take days or weeks for it to find them.

"I could give it a try, I suppose."

Neria was beginning to get nervous around this spirit. Could she trust it? Sure it didn't "feel" like a demon, but demons were spirits too. She read that demons were basically spirits that'd been corrupted by desires. And this spirit desired to see the real world. If she fulfilled that desire, would the spirit become a demon and force her to become an abomination?

Unfortunately she didn't really have much choice in the matter. She would have to use it for now. Without the spirit's assistance then the demons whispers would drive her to insanity.

She wanted to go back to the real world, she closed her eyes and thought of her room in the tower. She pictured her bed, her blanket the coolness of the room. The sounds of the tower settling down. She imagined a harsh wind beating on the windows. She felt a tug on the edge of her consciousness pulling her completely from the land of dreams.

When Neria awoke she found herself back in her room. She could sense the spirit within her, though she could not commune with it. If what the spirit had told her was true, then the spirit was preventing the demons whispers from reaching her. Now that she could think clearly she believed a trip to the library would help with her affliction. Though slim, the library could hold information about dreamers, hopefully an old Tevinter book that'd been long buried and forgotten amongst the thick tomes.

She left her room quietly making sure she made no loud sounds. Looking around the empty hallway she thanked the Maker that it was empty. Getting to the senior mages library would be less of a chore now that she knew that she didn't have to deal with people stopping her to ask her questions.

When she arrived the library was mostly empty. A few mages were reading over some parchments, studying, most likely. Two Templars stood at the door leering at the mages and now her, their eyes boring into her. She didn't liked being watched by the Templars in the library. It felt like they were judging her for practicing and studying magic. The Templars distrust of magic led some to become over-zealous in their duties, use their "divine duty" as an excuse to abuse mages they felt were evil.

Ignoring the Templars gaze she went to the library index. She spent at least an hour looking through the vast collection of book titles and synopses for anything relating to the dreamers. When nothing turned up she looked for any ancient Tevinter tome that might have some insight into the dreamers. One tome caught her eye; Tevinter Mages, Power without Blood. In the ancient days of the Imperium when Tevinter was at the heights of it power, blood magic was used to fuel their lust of more power. To attain power without blood may have something to do with dreamers.

She made her way to the section of the library that housed the book. A pair of mages were conversing in the corner, the pair were older than she was, both human. They were both mages like her. They were oblivious to Neria's approach. Not that she expected them to notice her. As she walked passed them curiosity overcame her and she leaned a bit closer to them to listen. "Did you hear? Two Grey Wardens will be arriving soon," the woman said, her voice tinged with awe. "I was walking through the dining hall and I heard Enchanter Oswin telling Enchanter Cera about it.

"Grey Wardens." The man didn't bother to hide his incredulity.

"Oh, yes. I heard they might be taking recruits. Imagine that! One of us a Grey Warden!" her voice grew louder with excitement. "A chance to get away from the Templars and Chantry, to taste true freedom. Like that Anders fellow."

"I doubt the Knight-Commander would allow a mage to be given to the Grey Wardens." His voice grew indignant. "Beside who'd want to join that dusty old order? All they do is fight darkspawn."

She paused, her face blanching in sudden realization. "You…you don't think they want us to fight the darkspawn. Do you?"

The man frowned, his voice lowering to a whisper. "Grey Wardens fight darkspawn no matter where they come from. You heard the rumors, the darkspawn are surging in the south, and rumour is that a blight is beginning. The King asked for the aid of the Circle, but the Knight-Commander and Revered Mother Alma refused to contribute to the war effort."

The woman mage stared off, her mouth pressing thin with worry. She looked behind the man then back at him. "My Father and brother could be fighting the darkspawn." She looked as if she was about to cry.

The man sighed and hugged her close, murmuring comforting words about how she shouldn't worry. That the Grey Wardens would end the blight soon. Maybe he was right. The woman nodded numbly, fighting back tears. "If anyone is to be recruited I bet it would be Neria anyways." He eventually said.

"Really? Her?"

"Yes, she is skilled. She took out a maleficar with ease."

"You don't think maybe Daylen Amell would be a better recruit. Or even Alim Nalara. They are more talented than Neria. Alim has a far greater control of the primal school than Neria and Daylen is a genius." He touched her cheek, the Templars coughed at this a reminder to the mages that they weren't allow to be close.

"Come on. Let's get back to our quarters." She said sheepishly, tugging the man's loose shelve.

The man sighed and shrugged. "Okay, just let me finish up looking for this blighted book for Senior Enchanter Leona."

The girl looked over her shoulder at the Templar's and shuddered. "Please hurry, I hate when the Templars stare overlong. It's creepy."

The human boy grinned reassuringly and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Yeah. I understand."

The two stayed put for a while longer as the boy searched for the book he'd been assigned to find. Neria lingered nearby, hoping that they might talk some more about Jowan and what became of him. But they didn't. Soon enough the boy found the book and with muted steps the two made their way out of the library and she was once again left alone. The muted sounds of the chant floated into her ears from the chapel a few rooms down. It was midday service and when it ended there was nothing left but silence, and the pair of Templars reluctantly left the library.

Neria followed the shelves along the wall to where the book she was looking was supposed to be. The book was dusty, clearly it hadn't been used in quite a long time. Taking the book from the shelf that held it she sat down and began to read—what little she could read. The book was written in Ancient Tevene and she only knew a few words of the language. A dead end in her search. Her only chance was to summon a wisp to search for the dalish.

"Oh, are you interested in that book as well?" a squeaky voice from behind asked.

The sudden voice in the silence made Neria jump. Almost dropping the book while she did.

"Hey! Watch it! That book is older than you or me!" Neria turned around and saw a human mage. Short brown hair with the skinniest nose she'd ever seen. She didn't recognize him at all.

"And you are?" She asked, she already hated the man for sneaking up behind her and giving her quite the fright.

"Oh, my name is Finn. A pleasure."

'It would be a pleasure for me to put a boot up your arse.' She thought making a mental image of doing so as she did.

"I am Neria." She didn't want to tell him her name but it was common curtesy to give your name to another mage you met in the tower.

Finn eyed her up and took a step back, blanching as he did. "You…you're the one who stopped Pelton. Everyone's been talking about that." Neria glared at him with what she believed was a cold stare. He didn't like it, she could tell as his eyes darted around looking for something else to talk about.

"So, why are you interested in that book? No one in the tower can translate it, and many people have tried."

Neria frowned. It was a dead end after all. Some small part of her hoped that someone in the tower could translate it. "Are you sure? No one has attempted?"

She was desperate for answers now. "No, the last attempt was during the Blessed Age. An Enchanter, Newell, I think his name was. Well he attempted, but all he could translate was the title. His research notes were destroyed when the Orlesian Occupation began. He worked for an Arl, and it was that Arl who commissioned the translation attempt."

Another dead end. Neria frowned and then stood up, defeated. However, before she could leave Finn stopped her. "Wait! Since you seem so interested to know what's in that book. I think…I think I may have a way to translate the book."

Finn stood there like a mabari waiting to be patted on the head or given a treat. Neria drummed her delicate elven fingers slowly on the wooden table. "Stop acting like you are waiting for an applause."

"Oh, uh, sorry. We need to get into the repository…but that's going to be hard because,"

"Because the repository is off limits after Jowan's escape." Neria finished his sentence sullenly.

"Yes…well, sorry."

"Stop saying sorry!"

"Sorry, oh Maker forgive me!"

Neria turned away from him, fighting the urge to slap the mage. To get into the repository they would have to get permission from Irving. The First Enchanter was still quite curious on how she was able to deal with Pelton and so she didn't speak with the man for weeks now. Hopefully the subject of Jowan and Pelton would be pushed from the old man's mind with the impending arrival of two Grey Wardens.

#

Finn complained the whole journey to the First Enchanters office, often on mundane matters such as his hair and annoyingly, dust. She had never met a mage as…unique as him. He was like a spoiled noble's child. Constantly complaining about trivial matters. How he passed his Harrowing she would never know. Maybe it was best that she didn't know. In between his complaints he told her of a Tevinter statute that talked. Finn had been to the thing for the past year, slowly learning about the Tevinter's of past. She was intrigued by this. If it was truly from ancient Tevinter, than it may well have the knowledge she sought.

It wasn't uncommon that some mages turned out to be…awkward. Some of the mages had been locked in the tower since they were a very young age and so they grew up surrounded in relative comfort surrounded by the high stone walls and ever vigilant Templars.

Irving's office door was open and Irving was nowhere to be seen. "I guess Irving is out on business. Maybe those Grey Wardens have arrived now."

"I guess so. Now's our chance Finn."

"Wait, now! Are you sure this is a good idea? The statute may not even be able help." Finn added nervously.

Neria ignore the human mage's blubbering and pressed on. Finn stood shifting his feet and looking around awkwardly for a few moments before he running to catch up with her. She allowed herself a little smile at the mage's awkwardness. "Oh Maker, too much…running. I've worked up a sweat! Ew, I'm all sticky!

"Creators, stop whining!"

For a brief moment Neria had forgotten about the spirit inside her. The spirit that was keeping the whispers of the demons at bay. But how long could it keep that up? That one question worried her and had been at the forefront of her mind since she awoke. Her only chance to become a normal mage again was to learn how to control her dreamer powers. And she would do anything to achieve that.

For another few minutes they walked in silence, Neria could feel that Finn was watching her as they walked. He was waiting, building up the courage to talk to her again.

"Why are you so interested in translating that book?"

Neria sighed heavily, she hadn't come up with a lie to tell him and he didn't seemed like the type to let things go. Unable to come up with anything she stayed silent. Neria turned her attention to the passing Templars, they were muttering something unpleasant either about mages or their latest posting. Neria ignored them while Finn tilted his head in confusion. "Oh, I see! It is a sort of punishment or is it a bet? And you want to actually translate the book and rub it in their faces!"

Neria was glad that Finn's own imagination did all the work for her. Now all she had to do was agree and he would drop the subject. "Well, sort of."

Finn beamed, smugly. "Well. I hope you give me some small credit! After all without my help you'd be stuck in the library straining your pretty eyes all year."

"I-I don't have pretty eyes!"

As they turned the corridor leading the stairs to the first floor a Senior Enchanter came bustling out of a class room and towards them. "Ah, I need to tell you that all mages are to gather in the main hall. The Grey Wardens have arrived and Irving needs all mages assembled it's important."

"Even the apprentices?" Finn exclaimed.

The senior enchanter shook her head. Though she did not know all the enchanters of the tower Neria couldn't place the man. "No. The apprentices are not permitted to attend. This has to do with the war in the south."

Neria hadn't planned to be delayed especially by the looming war. "The war? How bad are things in the south?"

The Senior Enchanter lowered his head grimly. "The Grey Wardens have confirmed it. It is a Blight."

A Blight. The thought of it didn't sink in fully but it did send a shivers down Neria's spine. As a child she'd read accounts of the Fourth Blight. In 5:12 Exalted the Blight began, starting a twelve year long war that caused much destruction. Antiva City fell to the strength of the newly surged horde. When the city fell so too did the old Antivan royal dynasty. The Blight continued relatively unchecked after the evacuation of Wycome and would later ravage the Anderfels capital of Hossberg for many years. The horrors of the Fourth Blight were ended by Garahel during the battle of Ayesleigh, in which Garahel slew the Archdemon.

The stories were there as a reminder of the Blights, though many had forgotten that not all of the darkspawn were killed during the Fourth Blight. The storied told that victory against the Blight would come at a cost, a cost that Neria was unsure if Ferelden could pay, let alone survive.

The senior enchanter, who introduced himself as Travis, led them to the assembly hall. All of the mages who'd passed their Harrowing however called it by its true name, the Harrowing Chamber. Returning to the chamber brought back the memories of her own Harrowing and she did her best to suppress them. Travis was quite young looking to be a senior mage, looking no older than perhaps mid-thirty. She was only fresh out of apprenticeship so she hadn't known the man. Along the way they gained two more mages, who had promptly began gossiping that the Circle was going to commit a force of mages to the royal army gathering in the south.

The possibility that she might be sent to the south to fight darkspawn made Neria shiver.

The Harrowing chamber was a large room with a vaulted ceiling embedded with a great window at the very top that allowed the sunlight to filter through. It looked different than the night of her Harrowing, less eerie and unnerving. Marble pillars lined the hall, behind which rows of benches had been placed to allow for an audience of well over a hundred—and they were packed with people. Robed mages ranging from young mages passed the Harrowing to elderly enchanters. A higher make shift-gallery at the end of the hall contained the Templars and priests, all of whom watched with severe and disapproving expressions. Neria glared up at them. Of course they would watch the proceedings from above, how typical. And petty.

In the centre of the chamber standing in the beam of sunlight that shined down from the window was the First Enchanter, several other Senior Enchanters and an impatient-looking Uldred. The mages around the room were straining their necks to gawk at the two Grey Wardens that stood just behind them. Neria took her place next to Finn and the other mages, who immediately began repeating the same gossip that they'd already heard. They went on with high hopes that one of them would be recruited by the Grey Wardens.

Rather solemnly the First Enchanter tapped his staff repeatedly on the floor loudly to break up the conversations. "Silence!"

The room fell completely silent as if the man had cast a powerful spell to shut their mouths. In truth they all respected and listened to Irving as he was a man who had earned their trust. At this point the Grey Wardens where mostly relegated to the side-lines now.

"A Blight has begun," The First Enchanter begun getting right to the point of why they had been called to in the first place. "The king has requested the Circles help, and we have heard his call in response we will be sending seven of our best and brightest. And Maker willing, we will be able to send more."

Irving was met with yet more disapproving gazes from the Templars and priests in the gallery. It would seem that the Circle was not entirely committed to allowing the mages freedom to fight with the king. They were all afraid of a blood mage getting out of course, if Jowan hadn't escaped then the Circle would have committed a larger force.

"Best and brightest? Maker, I hope he doesn't mean me!" Finn gave a nervous whisper to Neria.

"You think very highly of yourself don't you?" Neria imparted slightly annoyed at Finn.

Irving continued on. "I, with the help of Greagoir and the Revered Mother have come up with a list of those we will be sending to Ostagar." Wynne passed him a piece of parchment and then he began to read out loud. "Wynne and Uldred will lead the five mages to Ostagar with a detachment of Templars to escort them.

"The following five mages that will fight on behalf of the Circle are: Greyson, Decius, Keira, Dorian and…and Neria." He finished with a heavy sigh.

Neria thought she had heard him wrong. The mages around her began to turn their gaze upon her as if she had been caught using blood magic. Irving seemed to have regretted his own words and searched the crowed for all those he had named. "All those who were named, please stand and join Wynne and Uldred behind me."

Neria looked around, staring at individual mages in the crowd. One male mage stood up on the opposite side of the room. She knew him it was Greyson, he was the Circle's only battlemage and Knight Enchanter. The elf wore a confident grin on his face as he made his way out of the crowd and towards the centre of the room. Decius stood up next, he was seated near Neria. She had only met him once when he was an apprentice. He was gifted and so he had and early Harrowing, which he passed two years ago. He was more reluctant to go than Greyson as it was a well-known fact that he was more of a researcher than a battlemage. Keira and Dorian stood up together, they were brother and sister and two of the few mages who had high enough mana reserves allowing them to upon more magic than even the First Enchanter himself.

Lastly, Neria found herself reluctantly standing. Finn was unsure on what to say or do and so stayed quite. She felt the crowd of mages judging her as she made their way past them all. So many unfamiliar faces judging her she felt as if she was drowning in a sea of accusatory glares. She found herself settling in next to Wynne who placed her hand on her shoulder reassuringly, but said nothing.

Neria noticed Cullen in the gallery he was staring at her, he noticed she was staring back and he looked away. But his eyes kept being drawn back to her. Her heart felt a-flutter and she discreetly waved at him. Why? She couldn't quite say, though she felt embarrassed as she looked away from him, her face hot with a blush. She noticed that he reluctantly waved back while trying not to smile too encouragingly.

Irving seemed reluctant to continue, but he did so anyway. "In the coming months we must prepare. There is no telling how long the Blight may last. Ferelden will need healers in the months to come. All able body spirit healers must practise daily. And…we need to give one of you to the Grey Wardens."

Murmuring erupted among the crowd of mages, forcing Irving to tap his staff on the floor again. "This is an opportunity to the one who is chosen. He or she will be free of the Circle, able to use your Maker-given talents to help those in need. There is no higher calling, I expect you all to understand."

Neria noticed that the Templars and priest shook their heads at what Irving had said. They seemed to barely tolerate Irving and by extension the Grey Wardens who planned to take a mage from the tower. Irving ignored their glowering and gestured to one of the Grey Wardens. A dark skinned man approached from the shadows and stood next to Irving. His swarthy complexions marked him as a Rivaini, whether or not he was from Rivain was another question.

"Thank you, Irving." The man gave a polite bow of his head and exchanged places with Irving. "Irving has told me many great many things about all of you. High praise, indeed. I will only be able to pick one of you to join the ranks of the Grey Wardens as per our tradition. I hope you understand this." Without another word the Warden stepped back into the shadows.

With that said the mages were herded out of the assembly hall by the Templars. Neria saw Finn being swept away with the crowed and then all that was left in the hall was the Wardens and those mages going to Ostagar. Neria shivered as the room grew colder. The five mages looked around the empty room unsure of what was about to happen.

"Neria." Wynne said softly. "We tried our best…but—"

"—But the Revered Mother wished you to go." Irving finished. "She seems to think that your… power that you used against Pelton would be most…useful against the darkspawn."

Neria scowled. "You mean she wants me gone?" She had never been vocal in the matters of Chantry politics before, but she had the mind for it.

Irving gave her a nod indicating his agreement. Wynne and Uldred stayed out of the matter and began to talk over possible tactics with the four other mages. Irving walked over to the Grey Wardens. "I'm sorry Duncan, I had promised you my most promising pupil to go with you, but Chantry politics have made that impossible. Maybe you could do something?" Irving said apologetic to the dark skinned man named Duncan.

Neria was unsure what was going to happen now. How would she be able to learn to control her newly manifested dreamer powers now that she was being sent to fight against darkspawn? Anxiety began to twist her stomach into knots making her feel ill. Neria followed Irving towards the Grey Warden, Duncan.

"It is quite all right, old friend. Unfortunately, I have no intentions on forcing the issue, however. The Grey Wardens have little allies as of now, we need all the allies we can get in this time of Blight. I am sorry."

Irving frowned. "Oh, it is alright I understand." He turned his attention back to her. "Neria, this is Duncan, Warden-Commander of Ferelden. I had hope to get you into the Grey Wardens ranks, but the revered mother was quite…vocal to say the least that you be made to serve in the fight against the darkspawn."

Was she going to die fighting darkspawn? That one thought took root in her mind. But maybe there was still some time before they left for Ostagar to learn how to block the demons whispers and get rid of the spirit now dwelling inside of her. Duncan didn't seem all that broken up about losing a potential recruit, but she didn't care. She would have refused the offer had it been made. She had no interest in joining the Order, despite holding them in high esteem.

"First Enchanter, I need to go to the repository. I need to finish helping a friend of mine with his research before we leave." She couldn't believe where she got her confidence from to speak, let alone lie to Irving. A small thought that wasn't her own crept into her mind. 'I am sorry I had to do that mortal, but you haven't the time mortal,' it said as a whisper in the back of her mind. The fact that the spirit had that much control over her subconscious already scared her greatly. How much longer until it was able to do more than just talk through her?

Irving smiled. "Of course, you will need to set aside any business before you leave. Wynne and Uldred will be able to catch you up to speed on your way to Ostagar. In two days you will set out with the Templars. You have plenty of time to get your affairs in order."

"Are the Grey Wardens not joining us?" she asked.

Irving shook his head. "No. Duncan will pick his recruit this afternoon and depart shortly thereafter."

Neria took her leave, feeling quite awkward as she did. She hated how wrapped up she became in Chantry and Circle politics within just one day. Both sides seemed to have their own ideas about her powers. She left the assembly hall and walked down the flight of stairs to the Templars quarters. She leaned on a nearby wall stroking her left temple with her finger.

Irving had no doubt tried to use her powers as an excuse to have her handed to the Grey Wardens, while the Chantry no doubt wanted to put her through the Rite of Tranquillity. However seeing as how it was illegal for mages who'd passed their Harrowing to be made tranquil, they decided instead to allow her to go to Ostagar. No doubt with the hope that some darkspawn would do their dirty work for them in the process.

Clearly being a mage was a complicated matter. She was beginning to wish that she stayed an apprentice now. With all that had happened recently, she'd began to see the cracks in her perfect life plan as a mage. She broke her train of thought and walked away from the Templar quarters, hoping that she would be able to find Finn and finally get some answers.

Finding Finn hadn't been that difficult at all. He was waiting at the bottom of the stairs from the Templar quarters. He had been in a right state. Poor Finn walked beside her, more miserable than his usual jumpy personality. Neria wasn't certain what had happen when the mages had left.

Neria told him that they had two days to get the answers from the statue that he'd talked about. Finn, agreeing reluctantly, followed her silently as they made a stop at the library in order to pick up the book they needed before heading to the repository.

Though the Templars glowered at them as they passed by, one of the Templar's gave Neria the passphrase for the Sentinels when she asked but made no attempt to hinder the two mages as they entered. Finn gave a sigh of relief when they had passed the Templars. But his sigh turned into a fit of coughs before he began to complain about the dust and cobwebs. For her own part, Neria wasn't truly bothered by all the dust and cobwebs they just showed the age of the place. It was an endearing quality of the Hold. It was built long ago by the Tevinter Imperium and the architecture showed it her more than anywhere else in the tower.

The door to the phylactery chamber was barred shut as it was still waiting to be repaired. Pelton had used a powerful spell on the door to break the lock to allow Jowan and Lily to enter and destroy his phylactery.

Finn screamed as two of the Sentinels activated. Finn leaped to the side as Neria calmly raised her hand and muttered the passphrase. Green energy shot from her hands and the Sentinels returned to their original places.

"You scream like an Orlesian." Neria mocked.

Finn remained silent for the rest of the walk to the repository chamber. It was filled with a treasure trove of artefacts and forgotten tomes. Staves and wands, robes and boots. Enchanted items decorated the far wall on the opposite wall stood several statutes and a golem. In the corner, covered in shadows and cobwebs stood the statute Finn spoke of.

It was of a woman clad in ancient Tevinter robes and holding a spear, or perhaps staff. Its face was eroded and only a few of her features could be made out. How long had it been here?

"Here she is. Eleni Zinovia, former consort and advisor to Archon Valerius. That was all I managed to get out her at first. I thought I was mad when I first heard her speak. But she's a decent sort. For a statue that is."

"Maybe you are." The elf smirked.

Finn approached the statue once known as Eleni Zinovia. "Statue, are you awake?" He asked it in a condescending tone.

"I am the spirit of Eleni Zinovia, once consort and-" It began in an echoed but almost faded voice. But Finn interrupted the statue talking.

"Advisor to Archon Valerius, blah, blah, fall of the house. Yes, yes, we've been through that." He said in a rushed impatient way.

"Oh, Finn…" The statue spoke again. "Greetings."

"We need information on this book. Can you help us translate it?" Finn held up the book to the statutes face. Would the spirit inside the statue even be able to see it?

"That…book is a tome only meant for the somniari. Dreamer. Inside is knowledge on ways to use the power effectively. Though it is a shame that the ability to read and understand the book has been lost."

Finn shook his head. "Can you translate for us?"

The statue fell silent. "Elven girl. You have the talent. You have the need. I have long forgotten the words of my language but what I still know I shall grant to you. Touch my head and I will pass on knowledge."

Finn gave her a confused look and backed off. Neria reached for the statue's head and placed her palm firmly on the stone. She felt a rush of magic through her and hint of understanding. Neria let go of the statute and almost fell over, but she was caught by Finn. "Are you alright?" He asked.

"Yeah, I'm…I'm fine."

Finn helped her stand, she faced the statue. "Thank you."

"Do not thank me, child. You will find your path to your destiny to be a difficult path to walk."

The statue fell silent leaving behind its ominous words hanging in Neria's mind. She looked down to the book in Finn's hands and the words of the cover became clear to her. She understood them. Whatever the statue did had worked.

"The book is actually called: Dreamers, Written by Titus Novena." She said smugly.

Finn had a confused look on his face, unsure of what had happened. "You can understand the language? Amazing. Why didn't the statue give me that knowledge?! Hey give me that knowledge spirit!"

The statue remained silent, Neria asked the spirit inside of her its opinion on the statue. The spirit had no answers but informed her that the spirit in the statute was resting after exerting its limited power. Neria didn't know what secrets the book might contain, she figured it would be best to start with the first few pages. Before she could open the book Finn grabbed her wrist.

"You—you're not in this for the translation are you?" He asked meekly.

There was no pointing in lying to him now, Finn had been a better friend to her in the short few hours she had known him than Jowan ever had been. She felt like she could trust Finn, at least with the truth.

Neria nodded. "No, I'm a dreamer it seems. And I need to learn how to control my powers, quickly."

"It's that important I take it, woo the enchanters with your fancy powers." Finn scoffed.

"No, I am not trying to woo any enchanters. Either I learn to control the power or risk being an abomination, apparently dreamers attract more demons than the average mage."

"Oh," Finn turned his head and rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. All mages knew that they were all at risk of turning into abominations, Finn should have as well. "I'm sorry I scoffed at you. I will try and help you master your dreamer powers. It's the least I can do for being such an arse."

Neria smiled and nodded. "Thanks Finn."

#

Neria hadn't expected to run into the Grey Wardens while they stayed at the tower. But she did. One of the Wardens was walking around the apprentice quarters, looking around curiously. He was an elf, wearing a thick, stained brown cloak with the Grey Warden heraldry on a broach. A finely crafted longbow was slung over his shoulder, an archer Grey Warden then. He was admiring the stone statue of Andraste, one of many throughout the tower. He pushed his hair back and noticed Neria and Finn standing a few paces away. With a smile he walked over towards them.

"Greetings" He extended his hand to Neria. Neria took hold of hand, he gave a firm handshake.

"Greetings, Warden?"

"Darrian. Darrian Tabris. A pleasure to meet you Neria." He kissed her hand softly. Neria felt flattered and slightly embarrassed. Darrian was quite the handsome elf, high cheekbones and golden curling blonde hair and brilliant green eyes. He gave her another smile, a smile that cut like a knife. "May I ask for your help? I seem to be lost."

"Lost? In the tower? How?" Finn interrupted unbelieving.

Darrian gave out a defeated laugh. "Well, I was told not to wander off, but I couldn't help myself, I like to explore."

Slowly Finn began to laugh, an awkward laugh, as if he was laughing and a joke only he himself got. "Oh, sorry an elf explorer just…never mind."

Darrian ignored Finn and turned his full attention to Neria. "I've heard many great things about you. Your First Enchanter praised your skills. You're one of the mages going to Ostagar, correct?"

The reminder sent a shiver down Neria's spine. Even though it had only happened a short while ago, she'd almost forgotten that she was going to participate in the war in the south. She never thought that she would ever see a battle and now she was being thrown into the think of battle against the vile darkspawn. It felt like she had been thrown head first into the deep end with seemingly no assistance. She managed to form a smile. "Yes, it seems that I will be."

"Good, I already feel a lot better about our chances now with your magic assisting us."

Neria noticed the nervous air about Darrian, hidden behind his cheerfulness. He glanced at Neria, but she turned away and merely nodded at him. "So," Finn broke the silence. "What were you before becoming a Grey Warden?"

Darrian pondered his response, Neria saw a flicker of pain and loss in his eyes. "I am not a full Grey Warden yet. I'm just a Warden-Recruit. And I was going to be married, if you're curious."

Grey Wardens were recruited from all walks of life, from the highest king to the lowest slave a normal family man could become a Grey Warden if he had the skills they were looking for. It didn't seem to surprise Neria that much, after all the great hero of the Fourth Blight, Garahel, came from the slums of an alienage. She wondered if history would repeat itself. If this Darrian would single handily kill the Archdemon in the south and end the Blight before it begun. But that seemed like a fantasy.

"Married? I take it that it didn't go so well?" Finn asked.

Darrian's eyes darkened and he turned away for a moment, caught within a painful memory, tormented by it. Whatever had happened to him still lingered on his mind. "I'd rather not talk about it. It's only been a few weeks since I got recruited."

"We can get you back to the guest room. From there you should be able to find the other Wardens." Neria gave a weak sigh, she was eager to start reading the book with her new knowledge of the Ancient Tevene language.

"By all means lead the way." Darrian's dark look was quickly replace with a cheerful smile. Neria and Finn took the lead and led him up the stairs.